Dear High School Senior Self,
A year ago, you were about to walk across the stage and give your Valedictorian speech, and you were more than excited for your senior trip to California. You were so nervous about college but also couldn't wait. You even wrote a blog post of a letter to yourself when you were a freshman in high school (A Letter To My Freshman Year Self). You know God has a plan for you at UT, but you have no idea of the adventure He has in store.
You will become best friends with your roommate and a girl about four doors down. These will be the friendships that you always prayed for. You guys will make goofy Instagram stories, eat lots of student union Chick-fil-A, cheer at football games, and be roommates in an apartment your second year of college. They will make this big life change so much easier.
Hebrew will be your favorite class (yes, you're taking Hebrew), and you will make plenty of memories in there. In the beginning, you'll be a little discouraged with your limited knowledge of the language, but through some hard work, you'll find success and most importantly some great friendships in the process.
A campus ministry and local church will have huge impacts on your walk with Jesus: Cru and The Walk at Sevier Heights. You will be apart of powerful worship, learn a lot from sermons, and be encouraged by being around other college-aged believers. There will be moments where you have both hands in the air and realize that your best friend is right there worshipping alongside you. God will show you that these are your places at UT, and He may even have a leadership role in store for you with Cru.
God will make Himself known in these Christian environments but also in the daily, mundane moments too. Maybe, even more in these moments. Listening to worship music in the shower, having sticky notes with Scripture on your mirror, feeling peace as you walk to class, a friend sending you a text with Scripture you needed to hear: He will reveal Himself in all types of ways.
You will learn more of His character and what it means to let Him be enough for you. He will fill you with His joy and His love so much so that you'll walk through the valley without any fear. I will be honest, there are going to be some difficult situations come up your second semester, but by His grace, you will find growth, and He will bring goodness out of disaster. The Word tells you that when you are weak, then you are strong, and you will see this Truth come to pass in your own life. In fact, you will experience so many of His promises fulfilled during this school year, and I am believing there is more to come.
As for your grades (I know you have to be wondering), everything is fine. Continue putting God first and making Him your priority, and everything else will follow. He never let you down in high school, and He is still coming through. You will have to invest a little more time into studying, but it is nothing major. Trust me, you still have time for late night Starbucks runs, Morgan Wallen jam sessions, and blogging.
You are in for a great freshman year and a great college experience in general I hope. The main advice I can give is to pursue Jesus with everything you have and just take a few moments to really enjoy your time. Your first year is going to fly by! Go Vols!
Your future self,
Leslie
